Tennessee's African American Lodges: Benevolent Lodge #79 Cemetery, Madison, Davidson County, Tennessee

Benevolent Lodge #79 Cemetery (Image by author)

Tucked away on Briarville Road in Madison, near Due West Avenue, Gallatin Pike, and Briley Parkway, sits a small cemetery with fewer than 40 marked graves. This is the Benevolent Lodge #79 Cemetery. The Benevolent Society, also known as the Colored Benevolent Society, was one of the first benevolent groups organized in Tennessee. A group of African-American men in Nashville started the group in 1865, and it was incorporated on May 22, 1866. In 1868 the group's charter was revised to allow them to start branches of the organization throughout the state (Alrutheus Ambush Taylor, The Negro in Tennessee, 1865-1889, 156). By the end of the nineteenth century, branches had been established throughout the state, in towns such as Memphis, Cross Bridges (Maury County), Port Royal (Montgomery County), Fayetteville and Brownsville. Many of the lodges built their own lodge buildings, and several, including the groups in Edgefield, Antioch, Port Royal, and Agnew, established cemeteries for their members.


From the 1888 Sanborn Insurance Map of Nashville, Sheet 6b, volume 1 (Image courtesy Digital Sanborn Collection, Walker Library, MTSU)

According to the Davidson County Register of Deeds office, the Benevolent Society No. 79 acquired the property for their cemetery in 1919. The Briarsville branch (also spelled Briersville), is mentioned before that date in several different Nashville Globe issues. On March 27, 1908, the Nashville Globe reported that the group held its annual election of officers on March 14th of that year. G.R. Love was elected president, Alex. Pettus was elected vice president, Mrs. Arminta Shute was elected secretary, Edd Yateman was elected treasurer, George Pettis was elected marshal, John Woods was elected chaplain, Narval Vinson was the men's chairman of sick committee, and Mrs. Francis Yateman was elected ladies' marshal. As this article highlights, both men and women were members of the Benevolent Society. Additionally, the group allowed for the election of female officers, as the election of Mrs. Shute to secretary shows.


Article from the Nashville Globe, March 27, 1908, detailing the annual election of officers for Benevolent Society #79.

I visited the cemetery in February 2012 and I found that it is well-maintained. There is no signage denoting the name of the cemetery. It is sandwiched in a residential neighborhood, and houses surround the cemetery. A stacked stone fence is located to the front of the property. A transcription of the tombstones for the cemetery can be found here.